Manufacture of metallic vehicle-tongues



5 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

R. R. SINGER.

MANUPAGTURE 0F MBTALLIG VEHICLE TGNGUES.

Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

mmm-rowA WITNESSES (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. R. SINGER.

MANUEACTURE UE METALLIC VEHICLE TONGUES.

No. 469,952. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

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Sheets-Sheet 3 (N0 Model.)

I R. R. SINGER. MANUEAGTURE 0E METALLIC VEHICLE TONGUES.

No. 469,952. Patented MaI'..I, 1892.

(No Model.) 5 sheets-sneet 4.

R. R. SINGER. MANUPAGTURE 0F METALLIC VEHICLE TONGUES.

N0. 469,952.A Patented Mar. l, 1892.

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5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

B.. R. SINGER.

MANUPACTURE 0F METALLIC VEHICLE TONGUES.

No. 469,952- Patented Mar. I, 1892.

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ROI iERT R. SINGER, OF PI'ITSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE. OF METALLIC VEHICLE-TONGUES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,952, dated March 1, 1892.

' Application iiled January l1, 1892. Serial No. 417,630. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. SINGER, ot Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Vehicle-Shafts and other Hollow Articles, of which the following is a full, clear', and exact description,reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure lis an end elevation of my improved machine, the ily-wheel and main gearing being shown by dotted circular lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectionof the machine on the line II II of Fig. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the moving die. Figs. 5 and (i are end views of the opposite ends thereof. The figures ou Sheet dare cross-sectional views on an enlarged scale, showing the dies. Fig. 7 shows the dies in the position which they occupy when the sheet-metal blank is iirstintroduced between them. Fig. 8 shows `them when the blank has been bent into trough form. Fig. 0 shows the dies as they are just before the closing in of the side dies. Fig. l0 shows the dies at the end of the shaping operation.l Fig. 11, Sheet 4, is a plan view ot' the blank used in making a vehicle-tongue. Fig. 12, Sheet l, is a view of the blank bent into final form, but before its edges have been united. Fig. 13 is a cross-section of dies of modified construction adapted to the manufacture of whifiietrees or other hollow articles of curved crosssection. Fig. 1i is a similar View showing the dies in their final positions. Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the moving die; Fig. 1G, a side elevation of the blank bent into'nal form by the dies of Figs. 125 and 14. Fig. 17 is an end view of a die of modified construction. Fig. 1S, Sheet 2, is a plan View thereof. Fig. 19, Sheet 5, is a side elevation of a Inoving die and holder of modifiedconstruction. Figs. 20 and 2l are end views ot', opposite ends thereof. Fig. 22 is a plan View of'said die. Fig. 23 is a plan View ot' the die proper detached from its holder. Fig. 24 is a plan View of the side dies used in conjunction with the dies of Figs. 19 to 23. Figs. 25 and 2G are opposite end views thereof. Figs. 2T to 30 are cross-sectional views, on a largerscale, of the dies of Figs. 19 and 24, showing them in the positions which they'occupy at the various stages of manufacture of the article.

The many disadvantages attending the use of the ordinary Wooden vehicle-tongues, consisting in their liability to be injured by the Weather and to be gnawed by the horses, 'and their weight make it very desirable to substitute for them metal tongues; but although there have been attempts made to this end, they have not been satisfactory, owing in part to the lack of eiicient and economical machines for their manufacture. The object of my invention is to supply this want and to provide die mechanism by which metal tongues can be made rapidly and cheaply.

The tongues which I make by my improved machines are of sheet metal and are of taperv ing form, increasing in cross-section gradually from the tip to the butt, which is adapted to enter the hounds and at that part tapering in the opposite direction. The sheet metal is bent into this form and its meeting edges are secured by welding or riveting. This affords a strong and light article in every way desirable for use as a tongue. It is not liable to be broken or twisted, and if bent or dented can be readily straightened with ordinary blacksmiths tools. The machine which I employ for the manufacture of these tongues consist, essentially, in a mandrel, around which thctongue is bent and over which its edges are folded, in conjunction with suitable mechanism for so bending and forming the metal, said mandrel being divided longitudinallyand thesections being tapered, so that they can be separated in order to permit the removal of the article from the mandrel, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed. A

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 12 Ishow in perspective view an unfinished vehicletongue made by means of my improved apparatus. The part 2 of the tongue, which is adapted to enter the hounds, tapers toward the butt, and the body 3 tapers in the opposite direction, and thowhole is a hollow article bent in the desired shape and adapted to be secured at its meeting edges. et, 5, C, 7, S, 9, and 1U I show the die mechanism adapted to the manufacture ofths tongue. It consists of a moving die or mandrel 4, which is shaped lengthwise to conform to the shape of the tongue to be produced, for this 'In Figs.

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.the moving die 4.

lmasse purpose tapering in opposite directions,I as above explained. That part of the mandrel which forms the rear portion of the tongue is divided longitudinally, so as to constitute a separable section 5, which is secured to the part 4 by means of a keyway and tongue 6, as shown, the sectional division extending along the die to a point ac,l 1`ig. 8, at which the cross-sectional dimensions are a little less than the dimension at thebutt-end of the die. This mandrel or die is mounted in a machine, which may be of any suitable construction. I have illustrated in the drawings a convenient machine for that purpose, in which 7 represents a machine-f rame having a die-head 8, adapted to move in vertical slides and connected by links 9 with eccentrics 10 on a shaft 11. The revolution of this shaft by the action of the eccentrics causes the die-head to reciprocate vertically, and the moving die or mandrel 4 is secured to the die-head by suitable means. 'lhefemale dies, in conjunction with which the moving die operates, are preferably constructed as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, being constituted of two side wings or parts 12, which are set on slides in the frame of the machine and are adapted to be moved laterally by means of eecentries 13, set on shafts 18 and provided with gearing operated by means of the clutch 12', the clutch when moved in one direction being adapted to conneet the shaft 11 with the power-shaft, and when moved in the other direction being adapted to connect the shafts 18 therewith. The dies 12 are provided with lateral cavities 14, which are shaped to conform to the shape of the vehicle-tongue and are counterparts of Between the two side dies is a bottom die-plate orbase 16, which is preferably coextensive with the moving die. It is movable vertically by cams 16 on the shaft 11, which cams bear against anti-friction rollers 25 on the base 16 and are provided with clutches 26, by which they may be connected with or disconnected from the shaft. The respective cams and movingl parts are so adjusted that in the operation of the dies in bending the sheet metal the blank B is clamped between the bottom of the die 4 and the surface of the base 16, and that these parts shall move down simultaneously and at an equal rate between the female dies. The cams 16', by which the base is operated, are made concentric at portions b of their periphcries, so that when the base 16 is being elevated bythe cams its upward motion shall stop before the die-head S has reached the limit of its upstroke, thereby causing a momentary separation of the die and base and enabling the interposition of the metal blank l5.

In using the machine when the side dies 12 are separated and the moving die elevated above them, a sheet-metal blank B, from which the tongue is to be iliade, is laid upon the top of the separated dies l2 between the movi-ng die and the base 16, Fig. 7. The mov# ing die and base are caused to clamp the blank between them, and are then caused to descend, thereby forcing the blank down between the upper portions 15 of the side dies and turning up the sides of theblank against the moving die, as shown in Fig. 8. During this motion the blank, being clamped between the lower surface of the moving-die and the base, is prevented from danger of distortion or bending. Vhen the blank has thus been bent into trough shape, the side dies are separated somewhat and the moving die forced down into the position shown in Fig. 9. 'lhen the cams of the base-piece 16 are disconnected from their power-shaft and the moving die is raised to its original position, leaving the tongue-blank between the side dies. The section 5 of the moving die or mandrel is then removed by pulling it lengthwise from the body portion and the die is caused to descend into its position between the side dies. The side dies are then caused to approach, and the upper parts 15 thereof, engaging the projecting portions of the blank, bend them inwardlyover the upperportion of the moving die, completing the formation of the tongue and shaping vertically-projecting flanges or lips on the adjacent edges of the metal, Fig. 10, while the hollow tongue-body is shaped between the cavities 14. The side dies are then separated and the moving die is raised above them, lifting with it the metal blank, and the blank is then pulled lengthwise from the smaller end of the moving die, the end of the machine-frame being provided for this purpose with a gap or cavity opposite to the die. The edges of the blank being then unattached' to each other will yield laterally sufficiently to permit this removal, because of the fact that the lower portion of the thicker end of the die has been removed, the upper portion only opposite to the more-yielding upper edges of the blank being present. Then the blank has been removed, its edges are secured either` by welding or riveting, thus forming a closed hollow article of great strength and rigidity.

Many modifications in the form and construction of my machine may be made within the scope of my invention. Thus the machine itself and the mechanism for actuating` the various parts may be altered and other means for transmitting power-such as motor-cylinders and plungers-may be substituted for the cams. Instead, also, of making the moving die or mandrel of two separable sections, it may be made of three or more of such sections, or where the dies are to be employed in making tongues tapering in one direction only the moving die may bemade of a single piece. These constructions I intend to cover in the broad claims of the application.

The dies shown in Figs. 13 and 14 are adapted to be used in the manufacture of articlessuch as whiffletrees, vehicle-tongues, tbe.-

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having curved cross-section. Here the two side dies are adapted to be closed when the blank is first bent into trough form and are provided at the top with a cavity b of trough shape conforming to that of the moving die.

- The moving die is constructed as above described, except that it is of curved outline in cross-section. In using these dies the blank is first placed on the surface of the closed side dies, the moving die is caused to descend and to bend the blank into trough formin the surface cavity b, (see Fig. 13.) the side dies are then opened, the lower section of the moving die is withdrawn and the remainder is caused u to descend, so as to bring the blank into the cavity 14, and the side dies are then closed upon the blank to give to it a final shaping around the moving die. (See Fig. 14.)

In the figures on Sheet 5 I show dies which are adapted not only to shape the blank, but to lap the edges together, thus bringing them into proper position for welding or'riveting. The moving die shown in these figures is not sectional,but is made of a single piece, being adapted to the manufacture of-articles tapering only in one direction. By making the moving die in sections, as hereinafter described and as illustrated in Fig. I7, these dies can be used for making tongues which taper in opposite directions.

'lhe moving die 4' (shown on Sheet 5) is provided on its surface with a series of key-holes or slots c, adapted to be engaged detachably by a series of keys 20, which pass through the plunger or die-holder 2l and are connected by arms 22 and a connecting-rod 23, so as to be capable of simultaneous operation. Other attachingdevices may be substituted forthese keys. This moving die is of the shape and size desired to be given to the finished article. The-side dies l2 are substantially the same in construction as the corresponding parts shown in Fig. 7, except that they are adapted to close together, as shown in Fig. 29. The base or die 1G corresponds to the part I6 of Fig. 7. In using these dies the blank B is placed and clamped between the moving die and base, as in Fig. 27. These parts are caused to descend between the side dies and to bend the blank into trough form.A The die-holder is then detached by loosening its keys and is withdrawn from the moving die, as shown in Fig. 2S. 'lheside dies are th'eu closed, as shown in Fig. 29, so as to shape the blank around the moving die and to fold the edges of the blank together, and, finally, the side dies are opened, the base litL elevated to lf t the blank, andthe blank then removed longitudinally from the inclosed die.

In Fig. 17 I show a modification of the moving die above described adapted Ito the manufacture of tongues tapering oppositely in both directions. For this purpose the die is made of three co-extensive sections g 't' it,

the middle section t' being of wedge form.

When thc blank has been removed from the side dies, as shown in Fig. 30, the middle wedge-section is withdrawn, thus causing the other two sections to be drawn together laterally and reducing their conjoined crosssec 7o tion, so that they can be removed with ease. It will be understood that in addition to its use for the manufacture of vehicle-tongues the combination of dies which I have devised may be employed for making whiffietrees, singletrees, neck-yokes, or similar tubular sheet-metal articles.

I claim as my invention- 1. In apparatus for making tubulary metal articles, the combination of a vertically-inev- 8o able shaping-die, side dies between which the shaping-die is adapted to move,'and means for moving the shaping-die vertically and for moving the side dies laterally after the metal has been bent into trough form by the shaping-die, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In apparatus for making tubular metal articles, the combination of avertically-movable shaping-die, side dies between which the 9o shaping-die is adapted to move, means for moving the shaping-die vertically and for moving the side dies laterally after the metal has been bent into trough formV by the shaping-die, a base-piece adapted to move with 95 the shaping-die and to act in A conjunction therewith to clamp an interposed metal blank and shape its bottom, and means for moving the base-piece, substantially as and for thc purposes described.

3. In apparatus for making tubular metal articles, the combination of a vertically-movable sh apingdie, side dies between which the shaping-die is adapted to move, and means for moving the shaping-die vertically and for moving the side dies laterally after the metal has been bent into trough form by the shaping-die, said side dies having portions 15, between which the metal is bent into trough form by motion of the shaping-die and having cavities 14, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In apparatus for shaping hollow tapering metal articles, a moving die shaped to conform to the article to be produced and divided longitudinally into separable sections, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In apparatus for shaping hollow tapering metal articles, a moving die shaped to conform to the article to bevproduced and divided longitudinally into separable sections, of which the lower section is removable, in combination with female dies, substantially as and for' the purposes described.

6. In apparatus for shaping hollow metal articles which taper longitudinally in both d rections, a moving die shaped to conform to the article to be produced and having its thicker end portion divided longitudinallyin separable sections, substantially as and for the purposes described.

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7 In apparatus for making tubular metal' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set articles, the combination of a. vertically-mov- Y my hand this 2d day of January, A111892. able shapinr-die :L female die With which it )u Y, A operates to bDemi 'the metal, and means for Roll R' SINGER 5 forcing the bent; edges of the metal over` the Witnesses:

simpingdie, substantially as and for the pur- THOMAS XV. BAKEWELL, poses described. \V. I3. CORWIN. 

